As the worlds eyes turn to the implementation of a brand-new area telescope, the Astronauts Memorial Foundation (AMF) is shining light on the last astronauts to check out one.The structure, which keeps the Space Mirror Memorial and runs the Center for Space Education, both at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, has exposed its latest fundraising effort, which integrates history-making astronauts with U.S. Mint commemoratives.Now readily available for sale through the structures website are six-coin collections celebrating the Hubble Space Telescope and the STS-125 crew who were the last to update the orbiting observatory more than a decade earlier. The deal consists of the autographs of five of the seven STS-125 astronauts on specific inserts, each encapsulated with a 2020 American Innovation $1 coin including the Hubble.Related: James Webb Space Telescope vs. Hubble: How will their images compare?Unlike the James Webb Space Telescope, which was just recently launched on a million-mile (1.6 million km) journey to the 2nd Earth-Sun Lagrange Point (L2)– far too far-off for astronauts to quickly visit– the Hubble Space Telescope was created to be serviced in Earth orbit. STS-125 in 2009 was the 5th and final space shuttle bus mission to rendezvous with the Hubble to repair and change out its instruments.The Hubble Space Telescope remains in operation today, 13 years later on, in large part due to the work completed by the STS-125 crew.The U.S. Mints American Innovation $1 coin program honors the developments and innovators from the 50 U.S. states, 5 U.S. areas and District of Columbia.
